Predator
by AnonRyder23
Summary: {Book One in the Predator Trilogy} Nicole had been through a lot, enough to get her on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar. Deep in her past, is a beast whom she called Predator, someone who she wants nothing to do with. But with Loki, and the missing Tesseract, Nicole might have to turn to Predator for help and might find a loving companion along the way. [Bruce BannerxOC]
1. Prologue: Cops and Pyro

**Prologue: Cops and Pyro**

Racing down the sidewalk, my old black converse slapping against the concrete, I ran with all I had. I could not get caught, not now; not after all I had been through.

I was rushing past people, knocking some to the damp walkway, not daring to stop and apologize. I searched for an easy retreat, only finding alleyways with dead ends. They would provide me no hope, as I would get trapped, and then I would surely be caught.

My breath was hard and uneven, my mouth going dry as my tongue had turned to sandpaper; it washed down my windpipe, with bitter cold air and unfair gasps, making my insides turn icy and dry. Lungs ached inside my chest, gasping for oxygen, aching for what it had lost. My shoes were soaking up the rain water as I splashed through puddles. My heart thudding wildly in my ears, only adding to my stress.

The sky was dark and the air was cold, biting at my face.

I didn't know exactly why the cops were chasing me, I had saved those innocent people from getting shot. I suppose it was my use of fire that drove them after me; cops have never been very fond of mutants, from what I've seen on the news.

Ever since my "incident", I was able to control the element fire; create and control it. But I got something else too, something far more destructive and dangerous.

I could feel her pushing at her boundaries, implying that she'd help me. She was very cunning and manipulative to be trusted. I shook her away with all the force I had, trying not to fall for her schemes.

"No! Go away!" I shouted in my mind.

I felt her snap at me from within. It only drove me faster, my legs pushing quicker; they were blurred by speed, but I could feel the fatigue setting in. She was a killer and I wouldn't let her loose on the city.

I couldn't.

With the new found speed I was able catch, I ran ahead, not by much, but enough to hide. I ran down an alleyway and dove behind a dumpster. Curling up in the corner the dumpster and the wall made, I leaned my head on the side, closing my eyes.

I sucked in needed breaths as quickly as I could, trying to be quiet. I held my chest as it ached and I could feel my heart pounding beneath my palm. It hurt too much to simply ignore, as my body started to catch its breath and recuperate.

Once they had decided to find me on another route, I fled; climbing up the fire escapes to go above instead of through their search area. I was glad I didn't show my face, or they'd be knocking on my door, which would prove difficult and stressful to escape. I made my retreat to my apartment, slowly, watching every movement.

I laid down on my couch and turned on the news, my heart still racing; my adrenaline still pumping. They talked about the bank robbery, and how a mysterious girl (or more specifically, mutant) had saved some people.

They called her _Pyro._

I liked the name, it fit. Only, that would be the only time they would ever see Pyro. I couldn't risk another sighting. I was trying to find a cure, not become some hero. That was the last thing I needed. It would only put everyone at a higher risk.

And the one thing I couldn't risk was Predator escaping. It had been two years since my last incident. I wasn't going to let it win. I couldn't let it overtake me.

I wasn't a monster; well, I didn't want to be.


	2. Chapter 1: Something To Pay Attention To

**Chapter One: Something To Pay Attention To**

An entire day had passed and the cops were nowhere near my trail. Which was good, I wasn't about to be forced to run away because of one stupid mistake. Now I just had to be cautious, but I believed I was in the clear.

I breathed deeply through my nose, sitting in one of the chairs that sat in my small living room. I pulled my feet up to sit cross legged; I created a fire ball, and began to play with it.

I tossed it back and forth in my hands. I know tossing a ball of fire back and forth isn't much of letting off steam, but it sure felt good. I watched it, burning in my hand, with no feeling of being burned. I smiled as it flickered as I tossed it back and forth, only having my smile falter as I thought if how I got this "gift".

My phone buzzed, and I held the fire in one hand as I picked it up. I read it, as I tossed the fire up in the air.

_Shift in 45 minutes._

My eyes widened. I had forgotten all about work. I was too busy looking out the windows every five minutes to check if the cops were there.

I grabbed the fire ball and squeezed it, putting it out. A puff of smoke filled its place; I swatted it away, jumping up. I ran to my closet, searching for my waitress outfit. I know it wasn't much of a job, but in this economy I would take any job. And I worked over time. Only really because it beat sitting home alone.

On my days off, well my only day off was Saturday, I would go to the lab and continue my research. I had to find myself a cure.

I quickly got into my work clothes and ran to my kitchen. I pulled out the bread, some roast beef and cheese. I made my sandwich, and I ate as quickly as I could.

I grabbed my keys, my phone, and my bag. I ran out the door, slamming it behind me. I almost tripped going down the stairs.

Outside, the sky was still cloudy and cold. I checked my watch.

_11:35_

I had fifteen minutes. I could make it. I rushed down the sidewalk, as fast as my human body would allow me. In my normal form I was fragile and well, normal. Except for the healing thing; which allowed my body to heal at four times the normal rate. I also was a bit stronger and faster after the experiment, but it was nothing too extreme, I suppose it was only to make sure my body was compadable with _her_.

I ran down the familiar sidewalks, racing to work. I was out of breath when I got there but, I had made it. I had been late a couple times before, and my boss threatened to fire me if it ever happened again.

I walked to the back and clocked in. I sucked in a relieved breath. I sat down in one of the chairs, waiting for my tables to fill. It was only noon, so hopefully the lunch rush would begin soon.

"Nicole,"

I got up and turned to the voice that was behind me. "Lisa," I smiled, she was one of my best friends. Her brown curls bounced as she approached me.

"You made it! I was just about to call you." She squealed, her hazel eyes sparkling in the fluorescent lights. Lisa was a generally bubbly person, while I was quiet.

"No, I made sure I made an alarm. Can't ever be late again." I tried to smile, it was a weak attempt, but Lisa didn't notice.

"Yeah, Mr. Manning would have your head." She laughed, shaking her head and grinning.

I nodded, agreeing with her. She grabbed me, her hand curling around my wrist, and pulled me aside.

"Did you hear about that Pyro girl the other day?" Her voice suddenly got low, into a whisper.

"Yeah, it was all over the news. How could I not?" I tried to laugh to cover up the fact that my stomach was growing into knots.

I never told Lisa about my past or my "abilities", if you could call them that. It wasn't that I didn't trust her, because I did, but I didn't want her to think of me as a freak or to pity me.

She shrugged. "Do you think she knows Iron Man? I mean they're both superheros!"

Sighing, I looked at her, shaking my head lightly. Lisa had a secret obsession with Tony Stark. Anything Tony Stark and she was all over it. "Doubt fights for himself. He wants all the attention."

"I suppose you're right. Now go get to work. You have your first table." She pushed me forward. I rolled my eyes and walked to the table.

I cleared my throat before I spoke. "Hello, my name is Nicole. Can I start you off with some drinks?"

I looked at the first man, who was in a suit and tie. He looked official, like a detective or something. I felt _her_ begin to pay attention. Something must of caught her eye, with the instincts she had.

_Not here! Please, not here!_

"Yes, could I have a coffee?"

I nodded. I admit, getting a coffee at noon was weird, but whatever floats your boat. I turned to the other man, who wore something more casual. A t-shirt and a pair of jeans. He had light brown hair.

"I'll just have a water, thank you." He smiled up at me.

"Alright, I'll be right back." I smiled in return, being polite.

I walked to the back and got the drinks. I brought them to the two men who were talking about acting fast before the Tesseract misbehaved again. But quickly changed their conversation when I got to the table.

"Is there anything else I can get you?" I asked, bring out my pad and pen to write it down.

"No, no. We're okay." The suited man said.

Umm, okay?

"Alright, I'll be back in a couple." I smiled politely again, walking off to my other tables.

Who comes to a diner and just gets a coffee and a water? It just didn't sit right with me, but I did my best to ignore it. I made my way back over to them.

Before I could open my mouth, the suited man interrupted me.

"Could we have the check, please?"

"Of course." I nodded, getting the check. I dropped in on their table and continued my rounds. I was so busy I hadn't realized they left. I took the money to the register, making sure I got my tip.

The rest of the day was same old, same old. Talking to Lisa on my breaks and working hard on my shift. Finally, when six 'o clock rolled around, my feet ached.

I finished up with my last few tables. I said good-bye to Lisa and headed home.

They sky had begun to darken, but the clouds had disappeared. I know walking home alone in New York City might not be the best of ideas, but if I had to use the fire, I certainly would.

I was about a block or so from home when I felt someone following me. _Her_ instincts began to kick in, making me hear _everything._ I heard the footsteps, and even though I knew I could keep my self safe, I began to panic.

My pace quickened as I turned down my block. The footsteps only loomed closer and closer. I could feel _her_ begin to grow stronger in my weak state. I gulped down hard, as I got to my apartment.

_Not this time. I'm safe and I don't need you._

_She _laughed at me. I sighed, angrily. I opened up my door and closed it behind me. I threw my bag on the couch and I changed into my pajamas. I wore a simple T-shirt and sweat pants.

I sat one the couch and searched the T.V. channels. A knock on the door startled me. I got up and looked through the eye-hole. The people that stood in front of me surprised me.

It was the two men from the diner.


	3. Chapter 2: SHIELD

**Chapter Two: S.H.I.E.L.D.**

I stood frozen at my door. Do I answer it? Do I walk away and pretend not to be home?

"We know you're there, Ms. Moore."

Well there goes the second option. My stomach tightened. I hated to admit it, but _she_ was right. _She _did sense something was up. In some ways _she_, _it_, helped me.

I slowly opened the door, thinking of an escape plan. "Who are you? And why are you here?"

"I'm Agent Phil Coulson, and this," The suited man said gesturing to the light brown haired man, who wore some kind of suit, leather. "Is Agent Clint Barton, may we come in?" Agent Coulson flashed me his badge.

I didn't really bother to look at it, I mean a badge was a badge. "Um, sure." I said, a little unsteady.

They walked in and I shut the door, walking over to the couch. I didn't sit, because they didn't. I looked them over and Agent Barton had a bow and a quiver full of high-tech arrows. A weird weapon to have.

"Listen, I know you're here about the bank thing, and I'm sorry. I just didn't want any innocent people getting hurt." I mumbled.

"No need to apologize, we're actually here on another matter." Coulson smiled.

_Oh crap!_

They must know my other secret. I gulped. "I haven't had an incident in over two years, I swear Predator," That's what I called _it._ "Is no threat to the civilians here."

"We are not here about that either." Barton interrupted, impatiently.

"Listen, Ms Moore, we are a part of S.H.I.E.L.D. and we came here for some help." Coulson smiled, again.

I raised an eyebrow. "Me? Help?" I almost snorted. "I would probably cause more trouble than help."

"We know what happened, somewhat. You know science and we hoped you could help us locate the Tesseract." Coulson pulled out some papers out of the briefcase he was holding.

"Tesseract. I heard you say something about that earlier." I went back to the conversation.

"So you do have her senses." Barton smirked.

"_We_ are nothing alike!" A snarl escaped my lips. I felt _her_ grow bigger inside me. I shook my head, vigorously, trying to shake _her_ away.

Barton backed off.

"Well, it was stolen around one 'o clock. We need to find it." Coulson said, in a calming voice.

I nodded, closing my eyes, trying to calm myself. "I'm sorry, Barton, I didn't mean to yell at you." I sighed. _She_ hated whenever I apologized.

"No, no. That was my fault." He drew out a deep breath.

I opened my eyes again. "Alright, I'll help you, only if I get a nice lab to work out of."

Coulson smiled. "Of course, now lets get going."

I nodded. "Can you let me pack? I doubt I'll be coming back here anytime soon."

Coulson nodded. I ran to my bedroom, packing my clothes. I changed as well, didn't want to go to this lab in my pajamas. I walked back to them, my bag over my shoulder.

"Lets go."

Coulson opened the door for me and we walked out. Barton led me to a black SUV, and opened the door for me. I climbed in, not knowing what was going to happen to me.


	4. Chapter 3: Meeting The Team

**Chapter Three: Meeting the Team**

We drove to an open space where a high- tech helicopter picked us up. I figured the lab was in another state or something.

Boy, was I wrong.

Inside this helicopter, we all sat in seats on the side. It was practically silent in the helicopter. Except for the one conversation Coulson had with a man named Fury on the phone. He said that I had agreed to come in, and that was pretty much it.

"We're here." Coulson said looking out the front window.

My gaze followed his. What I found was a giant aircraft that kind of looked like a boat. Fighter jets sat on the deck of it, while some people scurried about. To the looks of it the only way off was either to fall or to take one of those things. And I was no pilot; and I certainly wasn't going to jump.

"Coulson," I breathed, looking at him. "This isn't going to work."

He frowned."What do you mean?"

"I mean that having me in the air is quiet stressful. And," I sighed. "Stress isn't very good for me."

"Afraid of heights?" Barton asked.

"I never was until," I paused thinking back to the memory that I never wanted to remember.

The people that did this to me made me sit in a cage fifty stories above ground until I cooperated. And this was before I had my gifts. I fought against the doctors and nurses and finally when I feared heights so much, I began to listen.

The room was always pitch black and if I fought against them, they'd put me in the cage and I'd wait. For days at a time. In the beginning, I wouldn't beg, I would sit there and wait. Sometimes when I was a bit lower to the ground, the bottom of the cage would open and I would fall to the ground. It was punishment. Soon, I forced myself not to argue and then they began their experiment.

"Never-mind."

Coulson nodded, understanding what I was about to say. "Don't worry, when you're on it, you barely notice a difference."

"I hope so." I sucked in a breath. I was able to tolerate being on this aircraft, but I was afraid of being pushed to far. I shivered at the thought.

When we landed and I got on to the Helli-carrier, that's what Coulson called it. Barton walked off, saying that he had to gather up the Avengers to meet me. Great, now I had to meet people.

Coulson guided inside. We walked down the metal corridors. In the halls, a man met up with us. He had an eye patch and seemed of great importance.

"Ms. Moore, I'm happy you could join us." He shook my hand.

"Likewise." I released my grip and let my hand fall to my side.

"This is Director Fury."

I nodded. So he was important. He was probably the one who thought to bring me here. He probably knew everything about my past. Well, as much as one could know, without honestly knowing the pain behind the story.

"Come, we have some people you should meet." Coulson guided me behind Fury, who walked silently.

He led me to a room, and we were the first one to get there. Except Barton and a red head. She wore a black cat suit, and had a holster where a gun sat.

"Natasha meet Ms. Nicole Moore." Barton said gesturing to me.

I gave a weak smile. She shook my hand and smiled. "Nice to meet you."

"I suppose it is."

Just then a few more people walked in. One I recognized as Tony Stark. He looked the same as he did in magazines. The other had blonde hair and blue eyes, and a muscular frame. The last that enter the room wore a purple button down shirt, had dark brown hair and dark brown eyes.

"Everyone, this is Nicole and we brought her in to help locate the Tesseract." Fury said. I was surprised he called me Nicole.

"Is that all you're here for?" Tony asked.

"I'm afraid that's the only help I can give you." I sighed, sitting in one of the spinney chairs.

The rest of the Avengers took their seats as well. Fury took his seat at the head of the table, while Coulson continued to stand. I eyed him curiously.

"So, you're a scientist?"

"No," I sighed, I didn't feel like explaining myself.

"Then, why are you here? You will provide me no help." Tony snapped.

The nerve of some people.

"She saved a few people from getting shot." Coulson defended casually.

"That was you?" Natasha asked.

"You're Pyro?" The blond man asked.

I nodded. I thought these people might understand, seeing that they were superheros. But, the questions! Couldn't Fury have filled them in, before my arrival?

"Is that all you can do? Make fire, Pyro?" Tony said, in a mocking voice.

"I advise you not to push, Stark." Fury said, in a hard tone.

"Why not?" Tony pouted.

"You might not like what comes out of it." Fury's face hardened.

Tony rolled his eyes. "What else can you do, Firefly?" Tony continued in his mocking voice.

I felt her lunge forward in my mind. She was getting irritated by him, and so was I. It took all I was not to willingly let her out. She snapped and growled.

I felt my eyes begin to change to her yellow. She fought to make an appearance.

I snapped my eyes shut and my heart began to race. She grew stronger and I felt her behind my eyes, pushing.

_No! No!_

I took a deep breath. I knew this would be a bad idea to come here. For two years she had waited. I shook my head back and forth, feeling her slowly letting go. It was only a matter of time.

_Not today._

My eyes returned to normal and I opened them back up again. Everyone was staring at me.

"What's with the eyes?"

"Nothing," I sighed, I had to find a way out. "I heard I had a lab to work out of, where is it?" I asked.

"Right this way." Natasha stood up and guided me out the door.

I caught the expressions on their faces as I walked out. Coulson, Fury and Barton looked relieved, Tony looked curious, the blond man looked clueless and the dark haired man looked, curious and hopeful. And I found that incredibly odd and fascinating.


	5. Chapter 4: Natasha and the Annoying Tony

**Chapter Four: Natasha and the Annoying Tony Stark**

Natasha led me down what seemed like endless corridors. Everything was metal and steel. It was all high-tech and unfamiliar. This place was definitely supposed to be kept from public eyes. I guess you had to be superhero or something. And that word brought up a scarier topic for me. Superhero, fame, _pressure_.

Pressure was something I couldn't deal with right now. _She _had almost come out _twice_ in the matter of one day. Just the thought of _her_ escaping was scary. But I couldn't let it happen. She would be trapped on this vessel until I regained conciseness, and that's when she went back inside.

When she came out, I would black out, as if escaping from the sight of death, as if I was hiding. I could sometimes try to talk her out of a situation and I would get a growl or something in responce. Other then that it was just a blur.

Natasha finally stopped at a room, full of computers and other science things.

"This is it." She smiled.

I nodded. "So, what is this Tesseract?"

She sighed. "Read this, it will help you more about the Tesseract then I could." She handed me a folder with papers inside.

"Oh, could you stay? I mean, could you fill me in on what you do know?" I walked into the white room and she followed.

"Of course, firstly, Loki stole it and we believe he is planning to open a portal to another world. Thor says that an army will be waiting on the other side. A war is coming, and the Tesseract is the key to it all." Her face was grim.

"Thor? Loki? The Norse Gods?" It couldn't be true. They were myth, then again so were superheros and Iron Man was real.

"Yes, you're familiar with them?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I took a class in high school." I began flipping though the papers.

"Good, then you know a bit about them."

I nodded. A few words in the papers popped out to me. _Gamma radiation _and _Selvig_. I knew that name. I just couldn't remember where. But I sure did know a little about Gama radiation.

"Spectrometers." I whispered.

Natasha smiled. "Yes, Dr. Banner already told us about that. He and Mr. Stark were working on it when you arrived."

I smiled. I placed the papers on the table and looked back at Natasha.

"I will go call them in here now. You all need to get to work if we're going to find it." Natasha's face hid a brief smile as she began to speak into her earpiece. "Get Stark and Banner down here."

"Could you stay until they arrive?" I admit, my nerves were everywhere. I was in a completely new place, with many different things.

"Sure, and I'll personally make sure Tony doesn't egg you on anymore." Her smile grew.

"Thanks, that would certainly help." I sighed, looking over the room again.

The monitors had different things on them, from maps to writings of all kinds. Obviously they all had something to do with locating the Tesseract. And on one of the tables was a sceptre, it had to be Loki's. I just wondered how they got it here.

I heard footsteps coming this way. It had to be Banner and Tony. I wonder what Banner had to do with this. I mean Tony was probably the lead of this whole locating the Tesseract thing, since Tony probably knew more about Gama radiation. But, honestly I didn't know.

Tony walked in first, his head held high in confidence. Banner was the purple shirted man. The one who almost looked hopeful.

Natasha walked right up to Tony and whispered in his ear. "You better not push Stark, or I will _personally _make sure you are punished."

"That sounds _intriguing_." Tony smirked.

"I'm serious Stark, don't push your luck." Natasha said a bit louder this time.

Tony nodded. Natasha looked back at me and gave me a wink before leaving. Now, I had to fend for myself, and make sure _she _didn't get the best of me. Even if I thought Tony was an arrogant jerk.


	6. Chapter 5: An Agonizing Story to Tell

**Chapter Five: An Agonizing Story To Tell**

I was worried about working with Tony, and I suppose I had the right to be.

"You never answered me before." Tony said, looking at me, while playing on the screen.

"About what?" I bit my lip, trying to play stupid.

I was pretending to be working on something, since both Tony and Banner seemed to be. They both were working on Loki's sceptre and locating the Tesseract. I had no clue how to locate the Tesseract. I mean, somethings that Tony and Bruce would talk about was completely foreign to me. I studied how to find a cure, not an alien object.

I heard Bruce talk to Tony how it had its own signature, which Tony already knew. I think he knew that I didn't know so he rambled about things I should know.

"About your eyes."

I sighed, I _knew _I couldn't avoid this conversation forever. And I might as well tell Tony, since he was a big mouth and would end up telling everyone, whether I told him to do so or not.

"I came here to find the Tesseract, nothing more." I sighed, touching the screen, hoping to avoid the subject for as long as possible.

"Well, you're doing a bang up job." Tony mocked, eyeing me doing nothing to help find the Tesseract.

A snarl escaped my throat, without my consent. I clenched my teeth, avoiding there glares. Tony's seemed very critical. Bruce looked sympathetic.

"Well, alright, don't tell me." Tony frowned.

I sighed, looking back at what I was doing. Why did I come here in the first place? Am I stupid or something? I was a bomb and everyone else here was the match that would light my fuse.

I finally began to grasp tracking down the Gama radiation. Slowly, because I was self-teaching. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, continuing on my work.

Bruce walked over to my screen. He nodded in approval. "Very good, with all three of us, we should be able to find it in no time."

I smiled warmly at him. "Thanks."

He walked back over to the table, where Tony was eating his blueberries and watching the screen, as if he was watching a movie. I rolled my eyes at the man.

Lisa would be so furious with me meeting him. I smiled at the thought.

She'd get over it.

I heard Bruce and Tony talking, and I decided it'd be best if I ignored it, since most of it was gibberish. But when I heard Bruce say _ow_ I looked up.

Tony looked Bruce in the eyes. "You've really got a lid on it, huh?" He leaned back.

"Are you crazy?" It was another voice.

I turned to see the Captain America guy, in uniform, standing in front of the desk Bruce was working at. His hair was combed to the side, bright blue eyes deep in concern.

I raised an eyebrow. I knew Tony might be verging on insane, but what did Tony stabbing Bruce with a pen have to do with the subject?

"Not likely." Tony shrugged.

Steve frowned. "Just get to work, we need to find the Tesseract."

"_We_?" Tony laughed. "Who is A) in a spangly outfit and B) not of use?"

He kind of had a point, but I'd never voice that thought. Steve's eyes narrowed.

"Just find it." Steve walked out just then, but not before eyeing me.

My stomach churned and I felt like throwing up. He knew; he knew I was a ticking bomb that was running out time. I gulped, the sticky saliva running slowly down my throat. After taking a couple breaths and pushing my problems to the back of my mind (probably not the best idea) I looked back up at Tony who was now looking at me.

"What?" I raised an eyebrow, suddenly curious.

"I know why I can't piss of Banner, but why can't I piss you off?" Tony asked, approaching me.

"Excuse me?"

Tony had reached the edge of the desk I was working at and his arc-reactor was showing through his black T-shirt.

Why couldn't he piss off Bruce? And who told him that I couldn't be pissed off? Had Fury told him?

Bruce had begun to look at me, his eyes glaring though his glasses. His head was down, but his eyes were up focusing in on me.

"When Fury said to watch my step and then Natasha said to not push my luck. I want to know why that is." His voice suddenly raised.

I bit my lip. My secret had to come out, and now. The only problem was I hated talking about it. It brought _her _closer to the surface.

"Umm..." I sucked in a breath. "To fully understand I'm going to have to tell you my story, and I don't know if you're up for that."

Bruce fully looked up, his interest showing. And Tony only smiled briefly.

"Try me," Tony challenged.

I felt _her _begin to jump, knowing _she _would be able to find my weak state when I told my story. _She _was always ready when the chance presented itself. And I knew as well as she did that her chance was within the story.

"Well, it began when I was kidnapped. I was taken to a lab of some sort," My brows frowned, remembering my scarred memories. "And, I was tested and experimented on for what seemed like months. I was tortured when I didn't listen, and finally when my spirit was broken they began their experiment."

I shivered, remembering that dreadful day. I didn't look at their faces, for i dreaded there reactions. Mine was enough to deal with.

"All I really remember is the white room, and the doctors. The room was cold, and then blackness over took me." A tear rolled down my face.

_She _smirked at my sudden weakness.

"Then," My eyebrows furrowed. "I woke up in what seemed like a jail cell, made not only from steel but cement. Since I was basically broken and had began to feel like their puppet they began more tests. They were _awful_. Simply horrid excuses for human beings." I spat out the last words like venom.

I looked up at Tony who's face was unreadable. Bruce had made his way closer to me.

"And," I raised my eyebrows, as tears began to fill my eyes. "One of the doctors pissed me off, and I blacked out. I don't remember what happened, just that I woke up on a beach covered in _their_ blood." I began hyperventilating.

My sobs were uncontrollable at this point.

_My turn to play._

I felt agony push through my entire body, and I began trembling. _She _was pushing and clawing at my insides. The pain began to unravel. The same kind of pain I have remember, only now it was more _real_, more _vivid_.

I couldn't hold _her _inside any longer. _She _was _too_ strong. I shook my head, trying to shake her, but _she_ wasn't budging. I couldn't lose control here.

"I _have _to get out of here!" I growled.

I ran out the door, racing down the corridors.

_Her _eyes began to show in mine. She had won.

The pain rippled through me again. I fell to the ground and screamed, holding my aching chest. My muscles began to tremble, beginning to enlarge.

I couldn't get up, the agony was too much to handle.

I thought I saw Natasha, Coulson, and Fury running to me, but it was just a guess, for the darkness had already began to overtake me.


	7. Chapter 6: Howl

**Chapter Six: Howl**

**~Predator's POV~**

She was _so_ weak. I loathed that about her. I knew she couldn't keep the fight up forever. I knew Tony would eventually push the wrong button, he just seemed like that type of guy.

Coming here, might of seemed like a mistake to Nicole, but this stressful environment is where I thrived. And I could read _everybody_, and all of them had some kind of stress that they hid.

When I had fully taken over my body, I couldn't help but howl. I had enough energy to take down an army, push a city into flames.

Enough to take down an aircraft.

Although, I would never have Nicole hurt. She was me, and I was her. We hated to admit it to ourselves, Nicole more then me. But, to be the stronger out of the both of us, you had to admit things that taunted you. That's what makes you stronger. If only she realized that.

I was glad she didn't, most times, it meant I could stay in control longer.

I was strong. I was brave. I was everything she wasn't. But, as much as I _hate_ to admit it, I protected Nicole. She always took my intentions the wrong way. I didn't really try to hurt anybody, just people that posed a threat. Sure, I took my anger out on people, but when you have so much energy, you have to do something with it. I didn't want to intentionally harm Nicole.

Only if she could clearly understand my intentions, then maybe she wouldn't want to _cure_ me. If that was even remotely possible, I was apart of her now. Our souls were one.l; for the most part.

I looked around, Fury, Coulson, and Natasha had wide eyed looks on their faces. I had forgotten that hadn't seen what I really looked like. I cocked my head, mocking their next move.

Fury reached for his gun. My ears flattened against my skull, growling at him. He froze.

I smiled at myself. I'm sure if I saw a seven (if you go to the top of my head; it's six feet at my withers) foot high wolf I would be scared too. But, I wasn't scared of anything, not even a measly little gun.

Natasha and Coulson aimed up at me too. I didn't want to hurt Natasha, for she had began to grow on Nicole. I just had to scare her, make her run away. So she didn't get in my way.

I snapped at her and she stepped back.

_Don't hurt her!_ Nicole pleaded.

_Please,_ I rolled my eyes. Like _I _would.

I barked at Coulson, and as soon as I saw my opening I ran past them. Charging into the corridors that were filled with confused and scared agents. Good, they should _fear_ me.

Now, what to do with all this energy?


	8. Chapter 7: Guilty

**Chapter Seven: Guilty**

**~Nicole's POV~**

I tried to push her away, as she slowly faded. She had had her fun, and I began to regain conscience. The pain also began to subside. It began to leave from my toes and then upward. My legs, my torso, my neck, and finally my head. Before she released her grip my head was in her tight grasp, that fogged my thoughts.

The throbbing had went away, yet remained as a dull buzz in the back of my head, and I began to feel again.

At first what I felt was cold and empty, like skin on cold metal. Then, I felt the soreness. It was everywhere, it must of been my overworked muscles. _She_ had always pushed herself too far.

Soon I began to hear voices all around me.

"Nicole!" One voice seemed to say. I recognized that voice. Almost immediately.

Natasha.

I tried to open my eyes, but as soon as they opened I squeezed them shut. It was too bright. I struggled to try and get up, but I failed, hopelessly.

My body had lost all its energy, and it was trying to recuperate, using everything and anything it had to make up for the loses. I hadn't remembered the after effects of my _change_, so this feeling was vaguely familiar, yet different and very much real.

I strained my body to at least curl up, covering myself, I shivered. My mind faded into nothingness. I was tired and stressed, both mentally and physically and I just didn't have it in me to stay awake any longer.

I hated that I lost control. Especially here. I didn't want anyone to see the monster I truly was. I wanted to hide _her_. For two years I was able to. And each day she had grown stronger. Like pulling a rubber band, and pulling it, stretching it to its limits. You knew it would snap, but the question was when.

My rubber band snapped today. Maybe I had spread myself too thin. Stretched too far. This was all my fault. I was the reason I was a monster.

I began to slip away from the darkness that surrounded me. I began to wake up. I heard muffled voices.

"_That's_ why I can't piss her off?" I recognized it as Tony's voice.

I tensed, even though my body wasn't physically ready to open my eyes and face the music, my mind was. And I was self conscience about it.

"Tony," Natasha sighed, and I could almost hear her scowl. "Just leave. You're not helping."

"Fine, fine," Tony began, and I heard footsteps start to walk away that I assumed were his. "But, that was _cool_." The last part he had whispered, so I doubted anyone else heard it.

I heard Natasha walk from across the room to closer to me. "Fury, this is our fault. We put her in this situation."

_No, no! This is my fault, don't blame yourself! I'm stupid, and wasn't watching my steps. My fault! Not yours! _I wanted to shout, but no words were able to escape my lips.

"You might be right," There was a pause; it was Fury. "Tell me when she wakes up." His footsteps faded just as Tony's had.

Then, there was silence. Nothing, but my heart beating in my ears and our slow breathing.

I felt my body relax, and I was able to control it. I moved my fingers first, just to make sure. I took in a deep breath and drew it out. I did this several times before opening my eyes. My eyes flickered to Natasha, who smiled lightly at me.

I blinked before trying to sit up. I groaned, the pain echoing throughout my body before finally leaving. I rolled my shoulders back, hearing them crack slightly, feeling satisfied. There was a low him of pain swimming in the back of my head and buzzing in my muscles, but it wasn't bad enough to mention or really complain about. The worst was over for my physical body, the mental scars created from such incidents never faded.

"I'm sorry," My voice was hoarse and scratchy. My eyelids were heavy with fatigue. I rubbed the back of my neck with my hand that began to sweat, awaiting her response.

"It was our fault, we brought you here." Her voice was low as she approached me, sitting on the side of the bed.

My eyes wandered my surroundings, forgetting to examine them. I was in a white room, but it was dark. It had a bed, a nightstand, a small bathroom and a chair in the corner. It was a fairly large room.

"It was not, I was stupid, I wasn't watching my step. I let _her_ get the best of me." I shook my head. "It was a stupid mistake, I suppose I was caught up in some _things_." Meaning telling Tony and Bruce my story.

_Wait._

I only heard Tony, but what about Bruce? Did _she_ go after him? My stomach tightened and my heart dropped.

Had _I_ killed him?

"What?" Natasha asked, noticing my now grim expression.

"Is Bruce-" I choked back a sob. "How many-"

"Don't do that to yourself." Natasha's face was stern.

A tear rolled down my face. "I did, didn't I?" I sobbed.

Natasha shook her head. "It wasn't you, now stop."

"_Oh!_ Those poor people! And their families!" I covered my face in my hands. "I'm such a sick, _awful, _horrid person!"

It was me. A sick monstrous version of me. I had begun to realize she was me and I was-

My thoughts were cut off by Natasha grabbing my wrists and forcing my hands away. "You listen to me, it is not your fault, you understand?"

It was my fault. All mine. Nobody else's. I didn't feeling like arguing with Natasha, I figured I'd wallow in my guilt later.

"Yes." I lied.

She nodded. "Good, because we still need you to help with the Tesseract."

I sighed. The quicker I found it, the quicker I could get out of here, and get to a place blocked off from others. No one else would be hurt by my hand. If only I was closer to a cure.

* * *

><p>I had showered, and changed. But the utter disgust still lingered on my body.<p>

I had to face Bruce and Tony now. I had to. It was the only way to find the Tesseract and high tail it out of here. Finding the Tesseract seemed to my only escape at the moment.

I walked down the halls, hiding my face from everyone who would pass me by. I scurried into the lab, only to be greeted by none other than, Tony Stark.

"Hello, Ms. Furry." Tony smiled a wide smile.

I rolled my eyes at him, and continued to my desk. I figured if I ignored him then, maybe he wouldn't antagonize me further. Sadly, I was wrong.

"_Come_ on, pup; come and play."

Tony was one of those people, I guess.

My eyes shot up, my eyes glaring at Tony. I didn't feel _her_ become stronger, just growl at Tony for insulting me, which was odd because I thought she liked it when I got angry.

"What did you just call me?" My voice was low, yet threatening. "Did you call me a _dog_?"

Tony's eyes flickered for a brief second; Bruce had looked up, a deep sense of concern laid on his face. My eyes turned to him, suddenly curious. No on had ever looked like they cared, or understood. I realized his gaze was understanding, like he knew how I felt. It was a very _intriguing_ thought.

Tony cleared his throat, making me refocus on him again. My eyes returned to their threatening gaze, my eyebrows furrowing down, awaiting his answer.

"Well, ah," He paused, thinking his answer over this time. "No, I said _pup_ and puppies are cute."

I nodded. "I thought that's what you meant." My tone sarcastic.

Tony bit his lip, eyes turning to Bruce. "I will be right back, have to go make a call or two."

I returned to my work, ignoring Bruce's stare. Finally, I looked up. My eyes narrowed and my brow furrowed, confused instead of angry this time.

Bruce walked to me, his intentions soothing. He wore another purple button up shirt and some tan jeans. He had removed his glasses, and I looked in to his eyes. They were a deep brown. Chocolate like. Very warm and sweet.

When he reached me, I turned, focusing in on him. "Yes?"

"I know you must feel guilty for what you did, but don't." Bruce's voice was low, as if telling a secret.

"Thanks, but you wouldn't know the guilt I feel right now." Tears filled my eyes, but they were controllable.

"I do, only if you knew." He smiled weakly.

"Tell me about it." I turned, my attention completely on Bruce now.

Little did I know that he would be the only one that could truly understand.


	9. Chapter 8: Bruce's Secret

**Chapter Eight: Bruce's Secret**

Bruce sat in a chair next to me. I eyed him curiously. He turned to the monitor and began clicking away. He was fast about it.

When he stopped he turned back to me. "Have a look."

I looked at the screen. A big green monster rampaged through the streets of Harlem. He roared in anger, punching things, and tearing things apart. It was kind of scary.

I was speechless.

"That's me," Bruce began.

I turned back to him, eyes wide in shock, with my own anxieties beginning to rise, my hands shaking. "Th-that's y-y-you?"

It wasn't possible. He couldn't be, could he?

Bruce nodded. "People call him the Hulk."

Bruce's face was pained. Sad. Tortured. His eyes were blank, but hurt. As if they always were fighting in an internal battle. A battle to keep the monster away.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words formed. The drying of my tongue happened when my heart started to race, when my hands became sweaty.

"You don't have to say anything, I know what I am." He bowed his head away from my gaze, and he began to walk away.

I grabbed his shoulder before he could.

He could understand the pain, the guilt, the internal war. And most of all, the _fear_. Fear of letting it get loose.

"You're not a monster, Bruce."

He faced me, and looked me square in the eyes. "Then, neither are you."

I gasped. No one had ever said that to me. I had always been something that people feared. Something I even feared; a monster that no one could friend.

I blinked. "Thank you,"

I huge weight seemed to be lifted. Maybe it was the pressure, maybe it was the fear. I knew _she_ wasn't gone, but I felt more comfortable in my own skin, at least with Bruce next to me. Something I have craved since the day Predator became apart of me.

He smiled. "Well, I guess you have been warned."

My brows furrowed. "Warned?"

"Yeah, I can't really control The Other Guy." Bruce shrugged, face solemn.

"Doesn't matter. We _all _lose control sometimes." I shrugged. "We can't really help it, but what we can control is the other side, the human side."

He nodded. "I guess that makes sense."

I smiled again, glad he was understanding. Not many people did. Lisa would always say that even if we can't control our _inner monster_, then we shouldn't be able to control on who we become. She told me the monster shaped us. It always annoyed me, because I tried to control on who I became. Hard or not, I tried.

"Good, on this Tesseract thing, how will we actually find it? I mean, Loki probably has it well guarded, even if he has to protect it himself."

"We have him in lock up."

"What? And I'm learning about this now." I shook my head, frowning, heat growing in my chest.

He laughed. "Thought you knew or I would of told you earlier."

"Thanks anyways." I sighed, teeth clenched. "So, that's how you got Loki's sceptre here."

"Yeah, Steve says it works like a HYDRA weapon."

"It would," I breathed, thinking back to the myths, and the history.

"What do you mean?"

"It's powered by the Tesseract, and so were the HYDRA weapons back in WWII."

"Oh, well," Bruce paused.

"Yeah, anyway, lighter topic, the Tesseract is being tracked, and we can sit here." I smiled, needing a break for my still racing heart, the shaking in my hands beginning to die down.

"Sounds great."

Bruce and I talked for awhile, until Tony walked in. He looked at us.

"Why on Earth are you two not working?"

"Because we can't do anything more, we're letting the machines do the work." I shrugged. "Why are _you_ not working?"

"Mm..." Tony hummed, ignoring my question.

I rolled my eyes. "So, what's new?"

Tony opened his mouth to speak, but Natasha interrupted him, running in.

"Loki means to unleash the Hulk." She was breathless.

Bruce stood up, and I followed to stand next to him. Thor, Clint, and Nick Fury were next to pile in the room. Before I could protest, I was in Bruce's arms.

He was holding me.


	10. Chapter 9: Tension Isn't Good

_I take no credit for the lyrics in this chapter. They belong to Jason Mraz and his song, I Won't Give Up._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nine: Tension Isn't Good For Anybody<strong>

Steve rushed into the room, carrying some sort of gun. It was larger than any kind of gun I had ever seen. And it looked somewhat similar to a HYDRA weapon.

Tony looked at the computer screen before opening his mouth to speak. "What is Phase 2?" He already looked like he knew the answer.

"Phase 2 is using the Tesseract to make weapons." Steve answered, putting the weapon on the table. "Sorry, your computer was working a little to slow for me."

What was exactly going on?

"Listen," Fury began.

"I'm sorry, _Nick_, what were you saying?" Tony asked, turning the screen to us. He had accessed some files, and he was showing them to us.

The room was tense, I swear you could cut the tension with a knife and it was wrapping around me, tightening.

"Doctor, I think it would be best if you were removed from this environment." Natasha said, stepping forward.

Bruce grasped me tighter, holding onto me as if his life depended on it. I wanted to leave his grasp, to find a safe place and hide myself, but the weak will of my mind and body held me frozen in place.

"I was in Calcutta, I was pretty well removed." Bruce said, voice angry, spiking back up the fear.

"Loki's manipulating you." Natasha said.

"And you're doing what exactly?"

This environment wasn't great for me either. One thing could make me snap, and that wasn't good for anyone. I wanted to cry, no one, nowhere was safe with me around.

I was a monster.

"You didn't come here because I batted my eyelashes." Natasha's brow furrowed.

I bit my tongue, biting hard, swearing that I was drawing blood.

Clint remained silent, in the corner. I wish I could go to him, or just leave, but, since I was frozen I let myself think that I actually wanted to stay here with Bruce.

To comfort him.

"Yeah, well, I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy. I want to know why S.H.I.E.L.D. is using the Tesseract to make weapons." Bruce didn't move, his voice remaining hard.

"Because of him." Fury pointed at Thor, who now looked confused.

"Me?" Thor's voice was just as confused as his face.

"Last year," Fury started. "Earth had a visitor from another planet. We learned that, not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned."

"My people want nothing more then peace with your planet." Thor said, a little angry that Fury was suggesting different.

"But, you're not the only threat, are you? The world is filling with people that can't be matched. They can't be controlled." Fury stated.

"Like you control the Tesseract." I growled, no longer able to hold my angry bitten tongue.

The heat in my chest grew hotter.

Natasha shot a worried glance at me, knowing both my patience and anger level were running thin. I ignored it, blinded by the starting frustration.

"Your work with the Tesseract is what drove Loki to it, and his allies." Thor boomed, angrily. "It's a signal to all the realms that Earth is ready for a higher form of war."

"A higher form?" Steve asked, slight worry in his tone.

"You forced our hand, we had to come up with something." Fury shouted.

"A nuclear deterrent, because that always calms things down." Tony interrupted, sarcastically.

"Remind me Stark how you made your fortune?" Fury asked.

"I'm sure, that if Tony still made weapons, he'd be neck deep." Steve sounded a little pissed.

"Hang on!" Tony yelled. "When did this become all about me?"

"I'm sorry, isn't everything?" Steve asked.

He had a point, but this was no place to bring it up.

"I thought humans were more evolved then this." Thor joked, still in an angry tone.

My eyebrows frowned. He needed to look around, we were all more evolved then everyone else, just look at their skill set and the fact that they were superheroes.

I honestly had had it, at this point. The more the argument was being dragged out, the more heated it became and the more my blood continued to boil.

"You speak of control, yet you court chaos." Thor continued, his booming voice echoing off the walls.

"What are we? A team? No, we're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. Were a time bomb." Bruce said, growing more agitated.

"You two need to step away." Fury said, shooting us both worried glances.

"Why shouldn't a guy let off a little steam?" Tony asked, stepping forward.

"You know damn well why! Now back off!" Steve's voice was louder, he had gained a grip of Tony's shoulder.

"I'm starting to want you to make me." Tony looked Steve square in the eyes.

"Yeah, big man in a suit of armor, take that off, what are you?"

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist." Tony snapped.

I nodded my head in agreement. It was a good argument.

"I know men with none of that, worth ten of you." Steve shot back. "I've seen the footage, Stark. The only person you fight for is yourself. You're not that guy that would make a sacrifice play. To lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you."

"I think I would just cut the wire." Tony narrowed his eyes at Steve.

Steve smirked. "Always a way out, huh, Stark? You know, you may not to be a threat, but you can stop pretending to be a hero."

I bit my lip, this was defiantly going to get _a lot_ worse. And to make the situation better (note sarcasm) my stomach was growing tight and in the back if my mind a low buzzing had begun.

"A hero? Like you? You're a laboratory experiment, Rogers." Tony scoffed. "Everything special about you came out of a bottle."

Predator barked, angry with Tony's remark. I trembled slightly, my stomach rolling into knots, the buzzing getting louder. Almost to a deafening roar.

"You people are so petty, and _tiny_." Thor smiled, crossing his arms.

My eyes narrowed, holding back a remark.

I wanted to let Predator go a round or two with him, just to let him see how petty and _tiny_ I could be. And that thought scared me more than anything else.

"Agent Romanoff, would you please escort Banner to his-"

"My where? You rented my room." Bruce growled, tightening his grip, again.

His arms remained securely around my waist.

"The cell was just in case-" Fury tried.

"In case you needed to kill me, but you can't, I tried." Bruce cut Fury off.

But I turned to be face to face with Bruce. I still was in his grip, I had just turned.

"Bruce," I began, lightly, fear spiking in my blood again. He needed to be comforted or this whole place would go down.

"I got low. I didn't see an end, so I put a bullet in my mouth and the Other Guy spat it back out."

I gasped. How could he- What-?

"So I moved on, I focused on helping people, until you _had_ to drag me back in, and put everyone here at risk. Do you want to know my secret, Agent Romanoff? Do you want to know how I stay calm?" One of Bruce's arms had released me from his iron grip.

I looked Bruce in the eyes.

_When I look into your eyes_

_It's like watching the night sky_

_Or a beautiful sunrise_

_There's so much they hold_

_And just like them old stars_

_I see that you've come so far_

_To be right where you are_

"I promise to love you, to comfort you, forever." My voice so low that no one else could hear, my mind not really thinking of what it was saying, my lips were just moving and words were just passing through them.

"Bruce, put the sceptre down."

I looked down at his hand, to see Loki's sceptre in it. But, he placed it back on the table, gently. He couldn't of been a monster, surely, to have the control to put the sceptre down.

_I won't give up on us_

_Even if the skies get rough_

_I'm giving you all my love_

_I'm still looking up_

"Sorry kids, I guess you won't be seeing my party trick after all."

Something beeped. Bruce walked over to one of the monitors, pulling me along, my feet practically dragging behind me.

"We have it." Bruce said, looking over the screen.

"You located the Tesseract?" Thor asked.

"I can get there faster." Tony assured us, walking to the door.

"The Tesseract belongs in Asgard, no human is a match for it." Thor replied.

"You're not going alone." Steve grabbed Tony's arm.

This could easily turn into a full on brawl. I wouldn't be able to handle the tension, the fight, and we all know how that went.

It was fuel to the flame.

"You going to stop me?" Tony mused.

"Put on the suit, and let's find out." Steve said through gritted teeth.

"I'm not afraid to hit an _old_ man." Tony looked amused.

Something beeped again. Only this time, it was louder.

I felt a slight rumble, then something exploded. I ran to the door, out of Bruce's grip. Just as I did so, Bruce and Natasha fell through the floor. I turned and looked down at them, they both looked okay.

Thor was gone, and Clint had vanished too.

"Get the suit on." Steve said.

"Right," Tony nodded.

Both of them ran through the door, Fury on their tail.

What about us!? What the hell? So much for _teamwork_.

I looked down at Bruce and Natasha again, and Bruce seemed uneasy. His skin was tinted green.

_Oh_. This can't possibly be good.

_And when you're needing your space_

_To do some navigating_

_I'll be here patiently waiting_

_To see what you find_

A few more minutes had past, Bruce barely holding on. His body was shaking, and expanding. Bruce screamed. I couldn't do anything about it. I stood here, helpless, mind reeling a million miles a minute.

Bruce finally lost it, and he, well, The Hulk roared in anger. Natasha still lay, stuck under a piece of debris. I couldn't let her get hurt, or let her die. I knew Bruce wouldn't mean to do it, it just kind of happened.

_'Cause even the stars they burn_

_Some even fall to the earth_

_We've got a lot to learn_

_God knows we're worth it_

_No: I won't give up_

But, I was defenseless to The Hulk, fireballs would get me nowhere. And, in that moment, I made a decision.

Natasha had to be saved; she had to be spared from this mess. I would do that at all costs.

Luckily, if Bruce was anything like me, he would be okay if something attacked him. Almost immortal, or something like that. Bruce would want me to save Natasha, I knew that.

A few seconds later, a pain shot through me. After that, everything was a blur.

_And in the end, you're still my friend at least we did intend_

_For us to work we didn't break, we didn't burn_

_We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in_

_I had to learn what I've got, and what I'm not, and who I am_

_I won't give up on us_

_Even if the skies get rough_

_I'm giving you all my love_

_I'm still looking up_


	11. Chapter 10: Fighting

**Chapter Ten: Fighting**

_**~Predator's POV~**_

_Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience._

I knew I never liked this Banner guy, he was only a threat to Nicole's safety. She was a fool, but she was blinded by believing that humanity was peaceful and happy.

Neither of which were true.

At least, she tried to see the good, after all she had experienced the worst.

This is the second time I had gained power on this ship. It was nice, but the space was limited. And last time I came out, I got shot at, which only pissed me off further. Which, in turn, made the situation worse.

What happened on that day remained unknown to Nicole, and I suppose that was okay. She was already feeling dread and pain, I didn't want her to feel anymore than necessary.

Let me just sum up what happened on that day: I added more deaths to my total. All you needed to know.

I stretched, looking for why she gave up so easily. It was very odd to me, she _never_ did that. Not once have I not fought to claim the conscious side of my existence.

I looked around, my yellow eyes searching. Something was defiantly off, besides just Banner or The Other Guy, what ever he liked to be called.

People were dashing about, avoiding me completely.

_"Natasha,"_ Nicole almost whimpered in my mind.

I rolled my eyes, _what about Natasha?_

I waited for her response, since she was conscious in the back of my mind.

_"She's in trouble, I beg you to help her."_ And then, I felt Nicole disappear into her black dreams. She had passed out.

I sighed, looking for the red-head. Not in here. I turned and ran out into the halls, racing across the metal floors, pushing, more like trampling, out of my way.

I admit, Natasha has kind of grown on me too, and I had nothing else to do.

I was able to get outside, and the wind was crazy. It blew me around, vigorously. I, however, was strong enough to stay on my feet. People were scrambling about, avoiding me. They were scared, most likely.

The few people here weren't heavily armed, and I could make my escape. All I had to do was jump, and prepare for the fall. My bones were strong enough to withstand a fall for something like this. Nicole wouldn't be harmed. A few cuts and bruises, but other then that, we'd walk out of the situation.

I smiled internally to myself, I'd get out of this. Off this stupid ship, filled with foolish people. Not like I cared for their well-being.

I stepped backward, getting ready. I heard a crash, a roar then a scream. The scream sounded so much like Natasha.

Could it be Natasha? The one Nicole had grown so close to? The one that had helped her when I couldn't?

I stopped, turned, and made my way towards the noise. It had to be her.

I got into the lab, where I had heard it. The hole, where Natasha and Bruce fell, if I remembered correctly. That's where she was. I dashed down, into what seemed like a basement.

I ran until I saw her, huddled in a corner, fear everywhere on her face. She glanced up at me, and the fear spread. She wrapped her arms around her knees and hugged them. I cocked my head, she was fearless, it confused me.

From behind me, I heard another roar, from that big green monster. I jumped around to face it and growled.

The Hulk looked at me, then smiled. I was just under his eye level. I gazed into his eyes, and saw something that reminded me of myself. That never ending anger, rage, hatred for anyone who got in your way.

He came at me, and I jumped, attacking him, head on. I was able to get him on the ground, and I turned to Natasha and barked.

_Get away from here!_

She ran away from us, and I waited for her to fade into the distance. Then, I faced The Hulk again.

He looked even more angrier than before. He _was_ like me. Anger fueled his flame.

This would be one hell of a fight.

I snapped at him, accepting his challenge. He punched my muzzle, causing me to trip up. He then grabbed me and threw me forward.

I recovered quickly, jumping at him, grabbing ahold of his arm. I dug my teeth into his flesh. He screamed and shook his arm until I let go.

I growled at him, crouching down, preparing to pounce. He smacked his chest with his fist, seeming to be unharmed. I snapped and growled, curling my lip up, allowing him to see my razor sharp teeth. This was my threat.

Usually, people or animals got scared and ran away. But, no, Hulk didn't move. He didn't even flinch. His eyes, though, flickered with a fight. Banner was fighting his way to come out, failing. He was no match for The Hulk right now.

I jumped and dodged a quick punch, then clawed at his back. He pushed me away, throwing me at another wall.

I took a deep breath, before returning to the battle. My eyes screaming anger and strength.

I lept back into action, power as my ally.

We continued this for a couple minutes, and I felt we were equal. No one, right now, held the upper hand.

I had him pinned, trying to bite his face, but his hands had a hold of my neck, trying to push me away. I continued this endless attempt to bite him, so I backed up, as he jumped back up.

He eventually got me pinned, and he was squeezing the air out of my lungs. I felt some of my ribs that had broken, they were painful. It hurt. For the first time, I actually felt a great deal of pain.

Just then, I heard a different sound. It was odd, and it made Hulk turn, loosening his grip slightly. Although, it wasn't enough to be able to get loose.

In just a couple of seconds Hulk was off of me, and flying into another room, a red and silver blur following him.

I got up and let myself recuperate, my bones beginning to set and heal, draining my energy as it did so. I dashed to where Hulk had disappeared off to. And a man, I recognized as Thor, was fighting him. Thor hit his hammer to contact Hulk's jaw, sending him backwards.

I blinked, confused.

Why would he help me? Didn't everyone on this ship hate me?

Bullets fired, causing Thor and I to duck, while Hulk, power crazy as he was, to run after it, falling out of the aircraft in the process.

I shook the broken glass from my fur, and stared at Thor, searching for an answer.

He had his hammer ready to defend himself if I came after him. I sighed, my body was bruised and pain rushed through my veins. I was in no condition to fight right now, I needed time to heal, not make my wounds worse. My cuts were starting to heal, adding pain, but the ones that still had glass imbedded in them could not heal. I'd have to wait.

I laid down in front of him, showing him I wasn't going to fight him. His eyebrows furrowed, confused himself.

Then, he smiled. "Thank you, Predator, I appreciate your grace."

I rolled my eyes at his weird accent and of how the way he put things. He was surly an interesting creature. And to add on that he was the God of Thunder made it even more exciting.

I nodded, and placed my head between my paws. My eyes were heavy, and my body was tired. Nicole would be making a reappearance soon.

"I must go check on Loki, again, thank you." His voice was deep, and his hair was about to his shoulders. Not a man I've seen grew it that long.

I nodded again, yawning.

He ran off down the halls, to Loki's cage. I got back up and rushed off to find a peaceful place to phase. Anything for Nicole to help her feel more comfortable.

A quick shock of pain rattled through me, and I knew it was time. I felt my muscles, and bones shrinking, my fur disappearing, and my appearance leaving, Nicole's returning.

Nicole didn't know that it was painful for me too.

I fell down, and whimpered in pain. I closed my eyes, knowing what was about to happen, then, I fell back into the back of Nicole's mind.


	12. Chapter 11: Nobody Even Loves You

**Chapter Eleven: Nobody Even Loves You**

My head felt like it was in a clamp. The headache began to radiate pain throughout my body. But, the pain would subside, I knew that from experience.

I was laying on something cold and hard, something metal. The floor of the Helli-carrier.

I sighed, rolling my shoulders, cracking my bones, making sure they all were in place. Which they were.

I curled up into a ball, waiting for the dizziness to subside. It wasn't just that, but it was the blur of everything. I could hardly open my eyes.

I felt something on me, and it was thin, but soft. I pulled it closer, wanting the chill in the air to go away. Why did this thing have to be cold? I mean, people can get sick. Maybe they should think about that.

I blinked my eyes, looking in front of me. I saw few people I recognized, and the place looked ruined. I wonder what happened to Bruce, last time I saw him, he was changing into The Hulk.

_Oh, Bruce, where are you?_

Could Predator have hurt him? Scared him off? Tossed him overboard?

The possibilities made my stomach clench and my heart to grow weak. Only if I could control _her_. But, that option seemed impossible. Even through all the years _she_ was apart of me.

"Nicole," a voice said, coming closer. I recognized the voice, I had heard it many times before.

I forcefully opened my eyes, and everything was blurry at first, then it began to dull out. A familiar face filled my view. They had flaming red hair, and I couldn't place them at first.

"Natasha," I groaned, rolling onto my back, holding my throbbing head.

She knelt beside me, and held my arm. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it progressively gets worse when I keep on changing. They said I would get used to it. They also said I'd be able to control her. Guess they were wrong." I smiled to myself. Knowing they were wrong was good, and knowing they were dead was another thing.

"Let's get you cleaned up," Natasha helped me get up, holding my arms. "And thanks."

I pulled the blanket closer to me, looking at Natasha. "What?"

"The Hulk tried to kill me and Pred-you saved me."

I leaned on her for support. "Really? Never knew _she_ had a conscious."

Natasha shrugged. She led me down the hallway towards my bedroom. I saw Tony at the other end of the hall and wanted to bolt away from him, so I could escape his comments.

But, he saw us before I could run.

"Nice outfit," Tony smiled.

I rolled my eyes. Tony stopped in front of us, preventing us from getting around.

"Stark, move." Natasha's eyebrows frowned.

"Can't we have a little fun?"

"That's what got us here in the first place, besides, weren't you looking for Banner?" Natasha asked him.

"What?" My eyebrows rose, in shock.

So, Bruce had fallen off the Helli-carrier. Hopefully he was okay.

"Bruce fell," Natasha said to me, before turning her attention back to Tony.

"I was, but then I heard Ms. Sunshine was back and waking up." Tony looked at me and smiled a toothy grin.

I growled under my breath. "Shut it, before I decide to burn you, or have you torn to shreds." My eyes narrowed.

"Like you would do that." Stark laughed. "Besides, I bet Predator is on my side."

"And what made you think that?" I rose an eyebrow, crossing my arms.

"She never tried to attack me, _and_ P must like it when I set you off, so she can come out and play."

"Did you just give _her_ a nickname?" I seethed.

Tony's eyes flashed with worry. "I might have."

I sighed, rubbing my eyes, concentrating on staying calm. "I'll just have to burn you then."

"Please, you don't have the guts." Tony smirked.

"Right, and you do?" I snapped.

"More than you do."

"Mm-hmm." I nodded. "Is that what you tell yourself at night so you can sleep?"

"Oh, don't pretend you don't tell yourself the same thing. That you're stronger than her, that you're not a monster." Tony rolled his eyes.

"Stark!" Natasha shouted at him.

I almost fell into sobs, uncontrollable sobs, but I stood my ground. If I did anything, he'd feed off it and do it again.

"But, Tony, you're the worst of us all. You're not even a _real_ hero. You fight for yourself, nobody else. Don't pretend that it wasn't your fault that your best friend almost got killed. Or Pepper, twice!" I growled at him.

Tony swallowed hard. "You put everyone at risk _every _damn day of your life!"

My teeth clenched. "I didn't bring war to anyone!"

"No, of course not. You just sat alone in your little corner, trying to keep calm, because nobody even loves you!" Tony mocked.

"I _hate_ you!" I yelled, tears started forming in my eyes. His words hurt because they were _true_. "You didn't have to do this, _Stark_, I was your friend, and now you have one less, not that you had many in the first place!"

Natasha pulled me down the hall, while I was shaking. I heard Tony shouting things at me, but I didn't listen, I couldn't listen. I was stuck back into my little corner.

* * *

><p>Natasha had been able to calm me down and get me cleaned up. I got dressed, in a simple t-shirt and jeans, with my black sneakers.<p>

Somebody called Natasha, and she answered it. I didn't listen, instead I stared into the corner, wishing I could leave.

"Nicole, Tony's going to look for Banner if you want to go."

Tony was a lonely man, besides Pepper. But, other than that he had no real friends. Bruce and I were the closest things he had, the closest things I had, well, them and Natasha.

"Sure," I nodded. I didn't fully forgive Tony for saying all those things, but I wasn't going to let the pressure get to my head. Even though it did, twice.

"Follow me."

Natasha led me back down to the lab, were Tony and Steve sat. They hadn't done anything, they weren't even speaking. Steve looked upset.

"Steve, are you okay?" I asked.

He turned to me. "Yeah, yeah, everything's fine."

I nodded, unimpressed with his lie, but I let it slide. He didn't do it often.

"Tony," I began, he looked up at me. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I didn't mean anything, I hope you can forgive me."

"I'm sorry too." Tony choked out, as if he was told to say it.

I nodded, now to the problem of Bruce.

"Come on, let's go find Bruce."

"Great." I smiled.

Tony and I walked down the hall, and we entered a room where Tony's suit was. It was red and gold, it was a nice color combination.

"By the way, I liked your clothes earlier, you should try that more often." Tony smiled, referring to the blanket.

"Ha ha." I said under my breath. "But, I really shouldn't be taking advice from you, after all, your shirt is burned."

Tony looked down at his _AC DC _black shirt, concern on his face. "I do not."

I smirked, creating a small fire ball and tossing it at his shirt. "You do now."

He looked at me, a smile toying with his lips. I felt the conversation earlier fade away, blur into the background noise. Maybe we could be friends again, and Tony could be his snarky self again.

"This was my favorite shirt." Tony said with fake remorse.

That's the Tony I knew.

"Buy a new one." I shrugged.

* * *

><p>Tony had to hold me, bridal style, while we flew around in his suit, looking for Bruce. It was uncomfortable, be so close to him, especially because I admitted my feelings to Bruce earlier. I knew this meant nothing to me, but I had no idea what Tony was thinking.<p>

Tony sped up, and I tightened my grip on him, afraid I was going to fall.

"I'm not going to drop you." Tony's robotic voice answered.

"For some reason, I don't believe you." I shouted over the sound of the blasting wind as Tony flew through the air.

I heard him laugh.

We spent two hours looking for Bruce, and we ended up with nothing. We figured we'd get back to the Helli-carrier and figure out what to do from there. It was out best plan, because Bruce, or The Hulk, were no where in sight.


	13. Chapter 12: Protectors

**Chapter Twelve: Protectors**

Tony and I got back to the Helli-carrier and Natasha was waiting for us. Tony landed, and I was still annoyed at him for what he did just minutes earlier.

He had dropped me, mid-air and flew down to catch me. He laughed about it, and told me he wouldn't do it again. But, we all knew he was a liar. So he dropped me again. He had only done it twice, but I was still pissed.

"Nicole, I need to tell you something." Natasha approached me, her face slightly blank, yet sad.

Tony went to go take his suit off, and talk to Steve about something. He didn't tell me what.

"Sure, what's up?" I asked, entering the Helli-carrier. I was headed to the lab.

"I didn't tell you this earlier because Fury didn't think you could handle it, but I hate lying to you." Her eyes were almost tearing up, her expressionless face fading quickly.

"Nat, spit it out." I stopped and faced her.

"Phil Coulson is dead."

I blinked, and sucked in a shocked breath. Coulson was dead. The man who brought me here, the man who had reassured me I would be fine, that I was strong enough, was dead.

Tears rolled down my face. "Who?"

"Who? What do you mean?"

"Who killed him, Natasha!" I shouted.

I felt ripped in half. One part of me was shaking in uncontrollable anger, while the other was in hysterical sobs.

"Loki,"

"He's going to die, if I have anything to say about it." I growled.

"Nicole, calm down,"

"Calm down? You want me to calm down after what you just said to me? That's like shooting someone and telling them not to bleed!" I shouted, getting in her face.

"It's going to be okay." She said, holding onto my shoulders as my sobs turned into hysterics.

"I don't need to be lied to anymore, just leave me be." I spat, shoving her hands away.

I raced to my room, and I opened the door and slammed it. I went to sit on my bed. I put my face into my hands and cried.

I didn't want to face the reality that Coulson was really dead. He was a good friend to me. He was an honest man, a caring man.

And Loki would pay for killing him in cold blood.

I laid down on my bed and closed my eyes, trying to calm down. I wouldn't get anywhere being angry, I had to focus to succeed.

I didn't know who I was anymore. I wanted Loki dead, I wanted to kill someone. That just wasn't who I was. I didn't like killing people.

On one hand, I was Nicole, a normal girl trying to get by in life. One the other, I was Pyro, a superhero, that had been recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D., and who was trying to protect the human race. And I was Predator, a monster that craved human blood, and danger.

"_I can't believe you let them lie to you._"

I shot up, looking at the door.

"Who said that?" I asked, not recognizing the voice.

It was cold and rough, almost talking in a low growl.

"_I did, Predator. I have been silenced by you for too long. You have to face that facts that we are one._" The voice said in my mind.

"_Predator._" I said, quietly in my mind, almost feeling stupid. "_I have faced the facts, thank you very much. I just don't like you, there's a difference._"

"_Maybe if you stopped lying to yourself you wouldn't be three separte people, but one. One soul, that was a superhero. One that liked to protect people._"

"_I'm not lying to myself. You're just an unlikable thing, that nobody wants around._" I shot back.

"_Oh, that hurt._" She laughed. "_I am you, maybe if you realized that, you wouldn't lose control all the time. I mean, look at Bruce, he is trying so hard to lock up and ignore The Hulk, but you see where that has gotten him. If maybe he faced the truth, him and The Hulk could be tolerable of each other and really help people, by being a doctor _and_ a superhero._"

"_Okay, so maybe you make a good point, but that doesn't change you like to kill people._" I said in my mind.

"_I'm not a killer, I'm just protecting you. Have you realized all the people I have attacked were a threat to you? Those doctors that were experimenting on you, would of eventually killed you. Two, there was a spy on this ship that was feeding information to Loki, that's why he let himself get caught because he knew The Hulk would rip this place apart. Three, I saved Natasha and you from getting killed from The Hulk._"

I slowly digested that. All that was true, every single bit. I had never put everything together like that.

She was right. She had saved me at the lab, and had saved Natasha and I before The Hulk could kill us. She had been right all along.

I was her. We weren't monsters, but protectors. Predators that hunted wrongdoers.

* * *

><p>There was a knock on my door and I got up and answered it. It was Clint, Natasha, Tony, and Steve.<p>

"Yes?" I asked, building up a wall, since they _all_ had lied and I wasn't in much mood for it.

"The war has started, and the Tesseract is going to open the portal soon. We have to stop it." Clint said.

"And what do you need me for?" I questioned, after all I was just a scientist that lost control sometimes and destroyed things.

"You're a superhero, ma'am. Superheros protect the people." Steve muttered.

I nodded, figuring if I'd fight with them and they did have a decent reason for not telling me things. I lost control easily. Well, I did.

"We have a suit for you."

"Okay, let's suit up." I smiled.

* * *

><p>"Oh, hell no."<p>

My suit was a black leather catsuit with flames going up the arms and legs. It looked tight, and uncomfortable.

"Oh, hell yes." Natasha smiled.

"I'm not wearing that, it's too tight." I shook my head.

"Tony helped in the design."

"I should've seen that coming." Of course Tony would make me wear something tight. I was just surprised everyone else had let him do it.

"Just put it on." Natasha told me, handing it to me, along with a mask, boots and gloves. Everything matched nicely.

I sighed before changing into it. It was tight, but I was able to move freely, sort of. I fire tested it, and it wasn't flammable. Good, I wouldn't set the thing on fire. But I was still able to create my famous fire balls.

I walked back out into the room, where Steve, Clint, and Natasha had already suited up. I guessed Tony was already done, and I guess right.

"Tony is just about on his way, he's waiting for us." Clint said, putting his bow on his back.

"Alright, how are we getting there?" I asked, as we began down the hall.

"By jet." Natasha said.

I nodded.

We made our way down to the aircraft's and we walked into one. Natasha and Clint easily got it ready for flight. Steve and I sat in the back, waiting for flight.

Today, the Aliens would invade Earth, and Loki would try and take over the world. I didn't know what was ahead of us, but I did know that Predator was on my side, and would protect me at all costs. And that was a good feeling.

But, one question still lingered: where was Bruce?


End file.
